Thirty Kisses Matsumoto Rangiku x Ichimaru Gin
by Lunar Kitty
Summary: So I found out that somebody else has this pairing on the Thirty Kisses site, but I had already written all thirty of them, soooo I'm posting here! Enjoy : This is not associated with the Thirty Kisses challenge other than the themes
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, I decided a while back to do a Ichimaru Gin x Matsumoto Rangiku thirty kisses challenge, but somebody already has the pairing. Seeing as I had already written all thirty of them before I requested the pairing, I was too lazy to go back and ask again. So I'm posting them here instead. They follow the themes, enjoy:)**

**My suggested listening is from one of my new favorite albums: **

**Celine Dion's "Taking Chances" -- the song is: "I Got Nothing Left" **

**Theme #1: Hey, Look Over Here**

Rangiku felt the sweat dripping down her back as she tugged irritably at her black uniform, the sun bearing down oppressively as she faced the hollow in front of her, zanpakuto drawn, her mouth a determined line.

With one clean slice, Haineko severed its mask, the dissolution of spirit particles filling the air as its roar faded into non-existence. She landed lightly, the leaves of the trees in the forest swaying around her as the breeze ruffled her long golden hair, her hand sliding underneath to tangle in her pink scarf, lifting it to her lips and wetting it with a kiss to wipe a small stream of blood from her forehead, the tiny cut wiped clean, leaving a damp streak on her pale skin.

One day she would stand across from him, sword drawn, and look him in the eyes, and he would see.

There would be no fond remembrances, no drama influenced, music enhanced reunions amongst fields of daisies glowing under the sunlight.

She had only one thing left to give to Ichimaru Gin.

The kiss of death.

**Theme #2: News; Letter**

It was a shock to see him standing there, his bitter betrayal hammering on her chest, her breath caught in her throat as she stood behind him, Haineko at his neck, her breath on his skin, his form taught against her own as she tried to think.

It was impossible to think.

His coy voice, "Whoops, Captain, I've been caught!" echoing around the hillside, his eyes shut, his shit-eating grin wide on his face, as usual.

Everything happened so fast. The sky rent open, the desertion of the gate keepers, the arrival of the other captains. The light, kissing his skin as he jerked free from her, pushing her out of its glare, away from his touch, away from the kiss.

"I really wouldn't have minded being bound for a little while longer -- See you, Rangiku."

He turned, and something about his face made her heart cry out and ache, his last word almost like a whisper of a touch on her ear. "Sorry."

And like a newsflash it hit her.

He cared.

**Theme #3: Jolt!**

The 'thunk' of a pile of papers on her desk made her groan as she lifted her tired eyes, her head throbbing with the after affects of an alcohol induced stupor.

"Hitsugaya-taichou…." She grimaced, her hands reaching for the papers, surprised to find a hand much larger than that of her young Captain's dangling over the stack, longer fingers, rough, well worked hands.

"Rangiku" their owner said, his voice barely louder than the most inaudible groan.

"Gin…" she whispered, hiding her face in her hands.

"Did I scare you?" he said, a half laugh in his voice as she glanced upward at him, her attempt to hide the dark circles under her eyes failing as his eyebrows raised at her.

"No" she grumbled, her hands reaching for the papers underneath his hands. "Are these for me?"

With a jolt she looked up to realize he no longer stood in front of her, and those hands were now on either side of her body, his back pressed against her own as his hands slid up her arms to pull her hands away from her face, pinning them against the table, his fingers intertwined with her own.

"I thought…" he began, his lips hovering just over the skin on her neck, "That you might need some help…"

"Help?" she whispered, her voice dry, "Help with what?"

"You know…paperwork, aggravating your captain…saying my name…" he growled, his perfect teeth nipping the edge of her ear.

"I don't…I need…" she whispered, her thoughts flying out the window as his hands trailed lower than her arms, her face turned, her eyes staring into his own, his tongue wetting his lips as they reached for her own…

Once, twice…three times.

Talk about a pick-me-upper.

**Theme #4: Our Distance, and That Person**

Gin stared out the cold white windows of his rooms, his hands grasping the window sill so tight that his knuckles resembled one of the decrepit trees that vainly reached towards the moon, deprived of water, deprived of light.

One of his hands reached to touch his lips, the feeling barely a ghost of a kiss on his frozen skin. For once in his life, he couldn't smile.

He couldn't even sum up the willpower it took to force that expression on his face.

Her touch on his skin.

For once, she had touched him first.

Even if it was in anger, or duty, or some false sense of bravado…she had grabbed him and pulled him close, and it had sent a thrill through him.

And now…

They were worlds apart.

Aizen had pulled back the heavens and risen, and he had followed. The faithful subordinate, the faithful follower…

Just the thought of her touch, her skin on his skin, his wrist in her hands, for once her restraining him instead of he pinning her down, it was she doing the ravishing.

He had never felt like this.

For once in his life. Ichimaru Gin couldn't have his way, his road was blocked, the path was barred, even Shinsou couldn't pierce the barrier he had created.

A new wall around her heart.

One that this time, he knew he'd never be able to take down.

**Theme #5: "Ano Sa" (Hey, you know…)**

"Hey, you know, you should eat more." Gin said with a smile, Rangiku sitting across from him on the banks of the stream, their fishing lines dangling uselessly in the rapidly moving water.

"If we could catch more fish, I would!" Rangiku groused, her hands taught on the pole in her hands, her cheeks red under the dappled light of the summer sun filtering through the tree tops.

Gin smirked as he jerked his pole out of the water, a shining trout dangling from his line, Rangiku's lips in a pout as his line caught on a rock. He jumped into the stream and lifted the fish out, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Dinner, is served, and you, don't get any." he said, his lips widening into a cheshire-cat grin as she leapt into the water with her hands on her hips.

"Gin, you've got some nerve, I shared my fish with you yesterday!" she snorted, pulled back hair hitting her shoulders.

"Ahh…beautiful deceit." He purred, stepping away as she leapt across the fast running water and yanked on the pants of his hakama, causing it to slip down his waist, his whole body crashing down into the stream face first as she attempted to grab the fish from him.

The slippery creature wiggled off the line, and the two wrestled around on the wet bank to try and grasp its flopping form, their mud splattered bodies slipping against one another.

"Dammit GIN!" she snarled, shoving his face down into the ground as he yanked her up by her arms. She was still inferior to him in strength, but that didn't stop her from struggling even more as his adolescent body pressed her down into the bank side, the cool water running over her legs.

"Oh dear…" he said, watching as the fish flopped into the water. "You made me lose my dinner Ran-chan."

"You deserved it" she growled, wiggling beneath him.

"But I'm still hungry…what am I going to eat?"

"I don't give a shit…" she groused, as his forehead pushed into her own, making her stare straight at him.

"I think you will suffice, Ran…" he said, his voice dropping into a purr as he bit down onto her lip, his teeth nibbling at the soft skin.

She gasped as his lips slid over her own, his tongue sliding into her mouth as she tried to scramble away from him.

"You taste good Ran…but fish would taste better." Gin snorted, jumping away from her as she leapt up the bank in hot pursuit.

"That was my first kiss you asshole!"

**A/N: This song is so Rangiku. It screams her, every word is something that she would say to Gin, in my opinion. **

**Lyrics:**

_ Anybody ever tell you that you're not whole  
A hollow shell of man without a soul  
Never ever felt your warmth cause you're always cold  
Only thing that makes sense is letting go_

Anybody ever tell you that you've got nerve  
Treatin' my love like just another word  
Tired of giving love to you that you don't deserve  
So this is one way of saying it's over

Cause I got nothing left  
I got nothing left  
I got nothing left  
I gave you my best  
And you treated it worthless  
So I got nothing left

Anybody ever tell you that you're gonna learn  
Trust and respect are two things you must earn  
When it came to lovin' me you just weren't concerned  
You never gave a damn so I guess now it's my turn


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Next five kisses! Hope they satisfy! This is another one of my favorite Bleach pairings. What can I say, I'm a hopeless fangirl sometimes… **

**So suggested listening for these kisses? "Want you to Need Me" by Celine Dion (btw, listen to her new CD – she so rocks my socks) **

**Theme #6: The space between dream and reality**

Rangiku sat, hugging herself tightly. She was cold.

He was gone.

Fooled, deceived.

Everything.

Was it all part of the illusion? Was it all part of Aizen's spell? That face full of regret that had stepped away from her…stepped into a dream realm that she couldn't enter.

Her her sword hand touched the palm that had grasped his arm, she could almost feel the warmth of his skin in her trembling fingers, her body so drenched with sweat that she couldn't move for shivering.

Damn she needed a drink.

Damn him for making her like this.

Damn him for making her weak.

Damn him for making her care.

Damn him for making her yearn for him, the touch of his skin, the sound of his voice…

The taste of his kiss.

Damn him.

**Theme #7: Superstar**

Rangiku had bowed her head as he walked by, a face in a row of subordinates, her black robes nothing special in a row of nothing specials.

Her only designation was her badge, wrapped firmly around her arm.

The only thing that had made her stand out.

The thing she had worked for to become his equal.

And now, he walked by her and his robes were no longer the same.

His badge was no longer the same as her badge.

The stark white robes of a Captain, the emblazoned "3" on his back mocking her as he approached the Captain Commander, kneeling as he accepted his position, and pledged his sword to the service of the Gotei 13.

She cursed her inadequacy.

What made him better than she? Why was she once again watching him walk away from her, why did the blessing always follow him?

Was he forever Jacob, and she Esau? Was she forever to be in his shadow, a mockery of what power actually was?

He had stolen her blessing, stolen her kisses.

Once again, he had deceived her, and by stepping on those below him, had risen to the top of Jacob's ladder into heaven.

A star shining more brightly than any other.

A star she could no longer reach.

**Theme #8: Our Own World**

Gin stared down at the hallway map in front of him on the screen, his fingers trailing over the now familiar haunts that he paced night after night, when Aizen was done scheming, when Tousen was done being a creepy vigilante, when he was alone, no Arrancar, no Hougyoukou, he could stop thinking.

And dream.

He rarely slept, but when he did, it was the same dream.

The riverbank—their little house hidden deep in the forest, days when she had been next to him, her hair trailing down the riverbank, the smell of moss and flowers hovering around her body, his hand sneakily reaching out to grasp her own.

He wanted her.

He wanted her back. Wanted her world—wanted her innocence.

He had gone to Sereitei to become someone who could protect her, and he was. He was trying to.

But where had it gone so wrong?

Why couldn't he go back to that dream.

That world.

Her hand in his, her fingers on his lips, feeding him something she had disastrously cooked over a fire that had engulfed and almost incinerated their hideout.

Those burnt fingers as he bandaged them, as his lips sucked each one gently, a feel better gesture from someone who had never felt better.

They had been together.

And now, alone – he had never felt worse.

**Theme #9: Dash**

She had heard the message that Isane-san had relayed to all of them, and she had turned and ran.

She had heard his name.

She couldn't believe it.

Gin…Gin…involved in the murder of Chamber 46, Gin, knowing…everything. Where the ryoka were, Gin…involved in the destruction of what her captain held most dear.

When had they become so far apart?

Why had his heart become so hardened and cold? How could he go back on his promise of protection to the Gotei 13…his promise to her.

No matter how fast she ran, Rangiku already knew. She could never reach him again, never.

This gap was too wide. A chasm with he on one cliff and she on the other, staring down at the void.

And no matter how hard she ran, no matter how hard she reached, or how far…she would never touch him, never hold him, never see him.

And as she stared at his back, robes billowing as she tried to decide what to do, she realized that everything they had was gone.

So she kissed it goodbye, and made her stand.

**Theme #10: #10**

It had been ten days.

Ten long, days. Hitsugaya-taichou had awakened, and it was as if Hyourinmaru had consumed his soul.

He was cold, his demeanor icy.

She sat at her desk, her head on her arm, her paperwork in front of her, her Captain had returned to his work with vigor, unforgiving of himself, unforgiving of the man that had betrayed them, and his partners in crime.

Ten days since she had seen him, more than ten since he had last lain in her bed, his silver head tousled against her pink sheets, her hair on his chest.

She had wondered why he had come to her, his lips crashing into hers so hard that she had seen stars, every inch of him devouring her body, every touch like fire on her skin. Her body crying out for him as he had enjoyed her like a fine wine, like something he couldn't get enough of.

Something he couldn't even imagine parting with.

And yet, it had been ten days. And he was gone.

Forever. And a place in her heart hurt far more than it ever should have.

**Lyrics: **

_**I wanna be the face you see **_

_**When you close your eyes**_

_**I wanna be the touch you need**_

_**Every single night  
I wanna be your fantasy**_

_**And be your reality**_

_**And Everything between**_

_**I want you to need me**_

_**Like the air you breathe**_

_**I want you to feel me**_

_**In your everything**_

_**I want you to see me, in your every dream**_

_**Cuz baby I taste you, breathe you, feel you, need you**_

_**I want you to need me**_

_**Like I need you**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Part 3! Kisses 11-15**

**Suggested listening: "The Thunder Rolls" by Garth Brooks **

**Theme #11: Gardenia**

It was barren.

And it was cold.

He pulled his robes tighter about him, refusing to shiver.

Refusing to show weakness.

His quarters were spacious but Spartan and he had had to admit, he missed Soul Society. Where Hueco Mundo was desolate, Soul Society brimmed with life, and color, and smells. 

Here, there was a false blue sky, and the same white clouds, the same white sand, the same black, endless space above, and the same white moon. Invariably, at times, a splash of color would appear in the form of an Arrancar's hair, or facial tattoos.

The color he missed the most…could never be found. To be sure, there was more than one golden haired Arrancar, Di Roy and Illforte were fine examples of blond at its best, but there was just something lacking there.

He would stare at them blankly, from his position behind his pillar, a silent observer of all that Aizen did and all that was reported back to him by his children. For that was what they were…perverse, fallen souls, all of them, wicked and malicious, all power hungry and deceitful to their own brothers and sisters, much like he.

His hands wanted to touch those golden strands, to hold them close as he paced the halls at night, running his fingers along those flawless walls, every touch just as frigid and bone chilling as ever.

It had been almost a month when he had seen her, in a report, her golden hair flying in the wind as she encountered one of Grimmjow's Fraccion, and when she had triumphed, her hair dancing behind her, he had unclenched a fist that was holding his outer white robe with entirely too much force, his palm bleeding from where he had pushed so hard.

And in his rooms that night, as he lay there, he had glanced at his robes, and saw something astonishing.

There, where he had never encountered it before, was a single, golden hair.

He lifted it, gently, winding its strand like the thread of fate around his fingers, curling it and placing it inside a white box beside his bed, locking it with kidou, the lid sweeping a smell of spring Gardenias, kissing him on the face, barely there, almost like something calling to him from far away.

He sighed, hard into his pillow, tugging it tightly down into his body, hugging it like a lifeline, his eyes shoved into it as he muttered out a single, desperate syllable.

"Ran…"

**Theme #12: In a Good Mood**

For as long as Matsumoto Rangiku had known Ichimaru Gin, she had never, ever seen him stop smiling. Every morning, every evening, even while he slept, his same, perverse, lackluster smirk mocked everything he did.

He smiled while he ate, he smiled while he fought, and most certainly, he smiled at her.

It was almost eerie how he was never angry, or sad. She had never seen him raise his voice (at the most he raised his eyebrows) and never, ever did anyone speak ill of him. Worried about his sanity, yes, but spoken ill of, never.

She walked the hallways of Sereitei, her hands trailing along the railings, her feet padding softly on the tenth division's wooden floors, every movement slow and deliberate, her lips pursed in a matter of internal reflection. It had been days since he had left on his mission, she knew—because the papers with his orders had been transported through her to his quarters by command of Commander Yamamoto.

She knew he would return, still smiling, as always, his robes floating behind him, successful, the epitome of a calm, cool, and altogether infuriating Captain of the Gotei 13.

Huffing moodily, she slid her hand under her chin, staring out over the railings into a pond below, the early leaves of fall hitting the water, making it ripple with dancer-like grace.

She barely felt the reiatsu behind her until it was too late. Large hands enveloped her own small ones, sliding them beneath her breasts to pull her back into a firm embrace, hair swept over her neck as lips nibbled playfully on her skin, causing her to gasp.

"Gin…" she whispered, catching the sight of his face in the rippling water, his eyes opening slightly, their green-blue catching her gaze in reflection only, his smile fading as he rested his cheek against her own.

"Ran…" he whispered, his lips barely moving as she turned her head towards him, her eyes staring straight into his own. 

"Where have you been?" she whispered, as he turned her to face him, pinning her against the railing with his body.

"On my mission" he replied, coyly, his smirk reappearing on his face.

"Really…" she replied, sarcasm dripping in her tone as she tried to turn away from him.

"I got you something…" he murmured, pulling her closer to him, his hands on the small of her back.

"Like what?" she asked, her eyes watching him warily. She had never seen him like this before, his eyes staring at her, his lips turning into a frown.

"Close your eyes."

Rangiku did as he said, barely feeling the soft caress of fabric as it slid around her, her eyes opening to reveal a beautiful pink scarf, soft and silky, wrapped around her neck and dangling beside her bosom.

"It's beautiful…" she whispered, her fingers reaching up to caress the fabric, her eyes glancing upwards to catch his gaze, strong and intense, for once, his eyes, open and staring directly at her.

"Ran…" he whispered, his hands sliding up her arms and to her cheeks, guiding his lips to her own. He kissed her then, and out of all of their kisses, this one…was something different. As he guided her back to his chambers, his hands gently coercing her body to mold to his own, her every cry attuned to his ears, Rangiku realized something.

Gin didn't have to be smiling…

To be happy.

**Theme #13: Excessive chain**

Rangiku realized as she lay there in Orihime's bathtub, her voluptuous form spilling over the edges, her hands dangling to the side as she listened to the girl weep over the Kurosaki-boy that she wasn't the only one bound by chains.

Every move that she made was calculated, every step that she took was towards one goal: to sever the chain between them, to cut it from her soul, to make her a Hollow to him, fallen, away from his tainted ideals and half-truths.

Every fight that she had, every blow that Haineko rained down on the enemy, all of her hatred towards him fueling each strike and quick step, was to get closer to him, to get closer to her goal, to get closer to severing that connection.

That connection that haunted her, even now.

Even now, she could feel his breath on her skin, his arms around her, his tall body pressed into her own curvy one as he almost peeled her soul out of her skin with every passionate thrust he made, every movement one that made her cry out for what he gave her.

Made her want it with every breath.

Even now, as she stood, facing an enemy she might not win against, her limbs aching, her sword sweeping down towards the Arrancar full-force, she was chained to him.

If not by body, then by soul, and if not by soul…

Then by the scarf he had given her, claimed her with, hanging around her neck.

**Theme #14: Radio-cassette player**

_Three thirty in the morning,  
Not a soul in sight,  
The city's lookin' like a ghost town  
On a moonless summer night.  
Raindrops on the windshield,  
There's a storm moving in.  
He's headin' back from somewhere  
That he never should have been.  
And the thunder rolls.  
And the thunder rolls._

Rangiku froze when she felt her Captain's reiatsu flare, Gin's rising to meet it as she rushed towards them, her hair flying backwards, the temperature dropping, her breath misting in the frigid air as she approached, wary of what she would encounter.

_Every light is burnin'  
In a house across town.  
She's pacin' by the telephone  
In her faded flannel gown.  
Askin' for a miracle,   
Hopin' she's not right,  
Prayin' it's the weather  
That's kept him out all night.  
And the thunder rolls.  
And the thunder rolls._

Hyourinmaru rose, violent against the raging skies, her Captain ensconced in his Bankai, his eyes a cold shade she had never encountered, his aura raging with intent to kill. She drew Haineko, her heart wavering as the ice seized Gin violently, the roar of the dragon howling in the air, every drop of sweat she felt freezing against her skin.

_The thunder rolls  
And the lightnin' strikes.  
Another love grows cold  
On a sleepless night,  
As the storm blows on  
Out of control  
Deep in her heart  
The thunder rolls._

Hyourinmaru seized Gin, his ice devouring his arm, Gin's eyes shooting open angrily, his grin fading as she hid, almost frozen as Gin flung Shinsou forward, his blue eyes freezing over to meet his opponents, his silvery hair glowing almost purple in the shade of Hyourinmaru's gaze, her Captain's furious glare piercing him, even if his sword did not. 

_She's waitin' by the window  
When he pulls into the drive  
She rushes out to hold him  
Thankful he's alive  
Through all the wind and rain  
A strange new perfume blows  
And the lightnin' flashes in her eyes  
And he knows that she knows  
And the thunder rolls  
And the thunder rolls_

"Shinsou" she heard him whisper, her Captain in close quarters as he whirled to stare at the body prone on the ground behind him. "Ikorose". The blade shot forward, his Zanpakutou flying towards the prone body of Hinamori. Before she could think, Rangiku flew forward, disappearing in the icy mist.

_She runs back down the hallway  
Into the bedroom door  
she reaches for the pistol  
kept in the dresser drawer  
She tells the lady in the mirror  
he wont do this again  
cuz tonight will be the last time  
she'll wonder where he's been_

Gin's face was almost shocked, when Shinsou slammed into Haineko, cracking her and shattering her, Rangiku pushing heavily against the pressure behind his blow, her whole body trembling as she managed to utter out a challenge to the man in front of her, her eyes staring deep into his own.

And once again, he'd thrown up his mask, and disappeared, his voice lingering on the wind, his words a kiss on her cheek, Hinamori's frail body in her hands as her Captain shook with fury, his rage making ice fall from the sky like a punishment from heaven.

_The Thunder Rolls_

_And the lightnin' strikes_

_Another love grows cold_

_On a sleepless night_

_As the storm rolls on _

_Out of control_

_Deep in her heart_

_The Thunder Rolls…_

**Theme #15: Perfect Blue**

She had lain there, her eyes barely seeing any more, the expanse of sky opening up before her, her dirty and prone form wracked with pains from hunger, her whole body shuddering beneath the expanse blue that stretched before her, endlessly, unbroken by her eyes, glassy and fading, even breathing escaping her as she tried not to think of anything but that sky.

But a shadow had fallen on her, and her eyes had seen him for the first time, taken his proffered fruit and devoured it, eyes following him, his words too dim to recall, his hands helping her up, his touch warming her skin, that for the first time in days, felt the heat of the sun.

He had destroyed her perfect blue, her perfect death, that peaceful moment she had wished for as she lay there, alone, dying, and he had saved her.

And for that, she gave him every kiss, every touch, even her body. Whatever he wanted to do with her was fine, and if someday, he wanted to end the life that he had saved, she would stand there and take his blows until he was the one that ended her, that same face clouding the sight of a perfect blue sky, for once, his smile gone, as he laid her to rest.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: New chapter, kisses 16-20 ******

**Suggested listening: "I'm Going Home" by Daughtry **

**Theme #16: invincible; unrivaled**

Ichimaru Gin was an indomitable opponent in the game of deceit.

What he did, he did very well, with very little, if any people, aware of his movements. Every single syllable, every single gesture, every little movement of his face, his never ending smile, all of it only served to refortify his position as a fox-faced negotiator, keen on getting what he wanted, when he wanted it.

It had been said that Ichimaru Gin could talk a bird into divesting itself of its feathers just by the sound of his voice, its slippery coils winding around the listener's neck like snakes, squeezing when appropriate to display the proper reaction.

Very few people could even stand on his playing field, even Aizen, with his indefatigable illusions, was ill at ease when his protégé went to work, his hands like the limbs of a spider on a never ending web of connection, able to pick out singular pieces of information from a thousand different vantage points and sew them back together to form an entirely different, and altogether the singular, most defining point of view on a particular subject.

For what seemed like eons he had played the game, coerced information from the tightest of seals, and with his own skill, he had blinded himself. But, the great king of information, the hub in the center of the super computer, had contracted a virus. 

Ichimaru Gin was so good at what he did, that he had deceived himself.

It wasn't that Gin was an emotionless fop – it was merely that he had overlooked the power of emotion. In all of his negotiations, it had never occurred to him why people were motivated to do certain things, why he continued to gravitate back toward certain people in Soul Society, why he continued to take their proffered gifts without hesitation, without fear of someone asking for a favor in return.

Humans were creatures of habit, creatures of comfort, and having been formerly human, so were Shinigami. Each carried regrets and powerful feelings, and he, as a creature of habit, had finally messed up.

Ichimaru Gin, had told himself, for more than fifty years, that he was a solitary individual, despite his higher connections, it was he alone who dominated his playing field, he alone who would not surrender to anyone.

And as he lay there, that even, his wrists tied gently to the top of his bed frame, his eyes covered with pink, gauzy fabric as he moaned her name in pleasure, he realized it.

He had defeated himself. He had pulled the proverbial wool over his own eyes, because he had intentionally fooled himself. The king in his castle was a servant.

He had surrendered to illusion.

Fooled himself into thinking that he was in charge, fooled himself into thinking that he truly knew everything about himself, and somehow, he had overlooked the most important fact of all.

For one look from her, for one smile, for one kiss, his web would fall apart. No longer would he be the one standing alone on a chess board, the check-mater to the check-mate-e. She, unknowingly, unwittingly, held the key to everything he knew.

It was she whom Gin could not defeat. It was she that held the key to deception, and she sealed it –

With a kiss.

**Theme #17: kHz**

It wasn't that Rangiku particularly liked the rain.

It wasn't that she cherished every life giving drop of water hitting her perfect skin as she sat underneath a tree, the downpour, one of the last vestiges of a summer of chaos, it was merely that it was content to fall, just as she had been content.

Content to fall.

Hair dangling in her eyes, she pulled Haineko from her sheath, her hands coolly resting on either side of the steel in between her hands. The sword of her soul, her Zanpakutou, was tired, just as she tired…tired of fighting, tired of reaching for something that she couldn't have.

Tired of trying.

Tears mingled with the rain falling down her face as her head lay back against the trunk, her hair obscuring her eyes from view.

If the sky had been blue, maybe she could have tried to hope once more. But ever effort was futile. Her façade was crumbling, and she desperately needed something to hold her up, something stronger than the foundation that had long since broken and wavered under the strength of a fight she couldn't fathom winning.

She knew it was what he wanted. 

He wanted her to give in. To give up, to stop fighting. To stay somewhere, safe, and quiet, just a figure-head while her subordinates took the fall so he could waltz in after their triumphal entry and pick her up and whisk her away to Hueco Mundo to be some sort of doll in a fantasy world.

But she was no coward, and she was not one to abandon her beliefs lightly, or take this lying down.

Standing, she shivered, the rain suddenly dripping down into her robes, a chill running down her spine as she raised Haineko and sliced the tree behind her down in one stroke, splitting it in half as a bolt of lightning slammed into the ground where she had just been sitting.

Heaving, she growled and turned back to her training, and turned her back on her fears.

Ichimaru Gin could kiss her ass.

**Theme #18: Say ahh…**

Hitsugaya-Taichou frowned when he heard the ruckus coming from inside his office, his brow lifting in a characteristic "Not-this-again-Matsumoto" grimace as he walked towards the door, biting his lip on the inside with aggravation as he leaned towards the screens.

Whatever Matsumoto was doing, she wasn't alone.

"Alrighty, look just take your clothes off already!" a male voice growled, the sound of something breakable toppling from one of Hitsugaya's many shelves making his frown deepen.

"I can't, it's too dirty! Don't make me!" Matsumoto pleaded, her breath coming in short gasps as the sound of what seemed to be lips meeting bare skin caused a blush to erupt on Hitsugaya's face.

"Ah, come on Ran…Say ahh…." The voice said, the sound of robes falling to the floor reddening his face even more.

"No, it's too big!" Matsumoto gasped, "Don't put that in there!"

"Ooooo it fits well!" the voice sighed pleasurably, Rangiku's voice coming out muffled from something in her mouth. "Damn, you look good eating that, suck on it harder!"

Unable to take anymore, Hitsugaya roared and burst through the screen, covering his eyes with his hands, Hyourinmaru flailing uselessly around as he tried to peek through his fingers.

There, sitting on the floor by his desk, was Matsumoto, wearing an outfit from the living world, her mouth wrapped around the biggest lollipop Hitsugaya had ever seen, a wide-eyed, and visibly surprised Ichimaru Gin sitting behind his desk as Matsumoto paraded around in what seemed to be a school uniform.

"WHATTHEHELLAREYOUDOINGINMYOFFICE?!" Hitsugaya roared, trying not to stare at the way Matsumoto's breasts were shoved up and forward, for god's sake, he was only a kid…not like he…could…

Suddenly, a set of lips touched Hitsugaya's cheek in an apologizing kiss, causing him to burn as he looked up at Rangiku's breasts right in his face, and he threw Hyourinmaru down to cup his hands over his nose. 

"Hitsugaya-Taichou, if you wanted a lollipop all you have to do is ask." She said, smiling.

"Mathumoto…" he growled, hands cupping his nose.

"They're really great to suck on!"

It was all Hitsugaya could take not to just faint right then and there.

**Theme #19: Red**

Her lips were luscious, pouting, gorgeous…

And Gin couldn't stop staring.

At the Women's Shinigami Meeting tonight, the girls had experimented with make-up, and Ran…Ran had come to see him that evening with painted lips, and they looked like an apple, like a cherry on a sundae.

It was making it harder and harder to breathe.

He didn't even think she had noticed him staring, hardly listening to the words that were coming out of those lips…those cherry red…

Lips.

And he had pinned her with his waist, pinned her on the wall, pinned those lips to his own, swallowed her cries, swallowed her conversation in a burst of red flame.

**Theme #20: The Road Home**

_Staring out into the night  
Trying to hide the pain  
I'm going to the place where love  
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing  
And the pain you feel is a different kind of pain_

Every move made his heart harder towards good, every breath made his heart ache. Every day was a journey, a mission, a chore to complete.

He wanted to rest.

_Well I'm going home  
To the place where I belong  
Where your love has always been enough for me  
I'm not running from  
No I think you got me all wrong  
I don't regret this life you chose for me  
But these places and these faces are getting old  
So I'm going home_

It had been so hard, at first. To stay there, to lay there, feigning sleep as Aizen created his children, born not from his loins but from his wicked imagination and the deception of fallen souls.

And they were wicked, as he was.

Every sight made him yearn for something more pure. Tousen's ideology was hard to follow, hard to understand. To follow that path, the path that justice wanted him to lead, Gin would have to be far stronger than he was now.

Strong enough to defy him.

_The miles are getting longer it seems  
The closer I get to you  
I've not always been the best man or friend for you  
But your loving rings true  
And I don't know why, you always seem to give me another try_

So many times he had walked back into her arms, her warm body embracing him, not with anger, but with passion, feeding off of his yearning to stay with her, no matter how his feet roamed across the great expanses of universe available to his view.

It was so hard.

He wanted to go back, to climb into her bed, climb into her arms, go back to the days when they were young and knew no better, young and in the Rukongai, irresponsible…

Far before plots, dramatic fights, and the threat of invasion and ruin of the known universe. Far before they had even contemplated the meaning of life, the meaning of the universe, and what they were here for.

_I'm going home, to the place where I belong  
Where your love has always been enough for me  
I'm not running from  
No I think you got me all wrong  
I don't regret this life you chose for me  
But these places and these faces are getting old_

He couldn't defect now. He couldn't go back.

Death awaited him, beside her warm body, in her bed. He knew her arms would not welcome him, they would carry death on her sword. His death, or her death.

One of them would die.

He by the hand of her sword, or the opposite, or perhaps his defeat would come at the hands of another opponent.

It was why he had to win.

_Be careful what you wish for  
Cuz you just might get it all  
You just might get it all  
Then some you don't want  
Be careful what you wish for  
You just might get it all  
You just might get it all_

He didn't want to die at her hands. He wanted to die in her arms. 

_I'm going home, to the place where I belong  
Where your love has always been enough for me  
I'm not running from  
No I think you got me all wrong  
I don't regret this life you chose for me  
But these places and these faces are getting old  
I said these places and these faces are getting old  
So I'm going home_

And Gin knew, that if someday that was his fate, to lay there as she held him tightly for the last time, that it would be enough. Just to know, that for once, her kisses were there for a purpose, to usher him into non-existence, or rebirth, somewhere, some life where he could find her again.

_I'm going home_

**A/N: This is one of my favorite pieces I've ever written, the first piece in particular. Please tell me what you think of it! **


	5. Chapter 5

**More Kisses! 21-25:)**

**Suggested listening: "Unfaithful" by Rihanna **

**Theme #21: violence; pillage/plunder; extortion**

Gin smiled as his blade sang through the air, sinking home in its intended target, his Captain standing behind him as the Hollow collapsed to the ground, Shinsou sliding back into its sheath smoothly, its wakizashi-esque shape returning as Aizen applauded mildly behind him.

Gin turned and bowed to him, dodging a blow from another Hollow that had appeared with intent to kill behind him. Smoothly, he leapt to the side, Shinsou leaping forward and striking home in between its eyes, the massive body falling to the ground with a thud and dissolving as he landed right in front of Aizen, his eyes lowered.

"Very good, Gin" he said, an eerie smile on his face, "I think you will do nicely."

That meeting, that glance, that mild compliment.

It was all it took to get Gin hooked. For the first time in his life he possessed power, and the man that had given him that power opened doors for him at every turn, only in exchange for his undying loyalty, not to the Gotei 13, but to himself.

Every task, even those mundane, pushed him even farther to his limits, testing him as the most capable partner for the genius plan that he concocted and molded during his waking hours, every little piece of it planned to the infinitesimal detail.

Only one thing was overlooked.

As Gin stood there, her skin flush against his on Soukyouku hill, his breath hitching in his throat at the kiss of her blade on his throat, he couldn't help but think, that despite how far he had gone…

He would turn back, but only for her.

**Theme #22: Cradle**

Rangiku cradled Orihime in her arms, listening to her sob, their hair tangling together as she laid all her worries on Rangiku's bosom, her whole body racked with emotional pain.

Unrequited love.

The most painful, and bitter love of all. The love that left one party reliving every kiss, every touch, every word…while the other left, knowing they were loved, and yet unloving their lover.

What a complicated mess fate wove. Here, two girls lay, both brokenhearted. One broken-hearted by betrayal, the other broken-hearted because her heart cared too much.

Rangiku sighed heavily, pulling on the nightshirt Orihime had loaned her, walking out on the balcony, barely feeling Hitsugaya's presence on the roof behind her, her hair dangling over the ledge, her body relaxing in the cool air.

"Gin…" she murmured, eyes glancing towards heaven.

"I love you."

**Theme #23: Candy**

Hitsugaya glared at the massive lollipop Matsumoto had left on his office floor after he had kicked both she and Ichimaru out, his face still red, his nose still dripping a little as he tried to wipe it with his robes.

"Really Taichou…" Matsumoto's voice came from behind him, "You ought to use a tissue."

Growling, Hitsugaya turned to see Matsumoto and Ichimaru peering through his office window.

"I told you to get out…" he hissed, still embarrassed.

"I need my lollipop back." Matsumoto said with a grin.

"Why?"

"I'm going to rub it all over her body…" Ichimaru purred, his hand trailing up to tangle in her long hair and turning her face towards his own, causing Matsumoto to break out into a vibrant blush.

"WHAT?!" Histugaya yelped. "I told you to get out!"

"What's the matter?" Ichimaru said, smiling, "There's nothing wrong with a little intimacy…Hitsugaya-Taichou…"

"There IS SOMETHING WRONG!" Hitsugaya yelped, staring as Ichimaru's lips got closer to Matsumoto's. "I'm trying to work DAMMIT!"

"Mmm…so am I…." Ichimaru purred, "Working my magic…"

His lips collided with Matsumoto's as his eyes sliding open to watch Hitsugaya's astonished expression as he began to slide her shirt down her shoulders.

"NO!" Hitsugaya yelped, trying to run out into the hallway, but it seemed to be neverending, and at every window, Ichimaru and Matsumoto stared at him as their lips connected each time, over and over again.

"There's nothing wrong…" Matsumoto said, over and over again as the floor began to sink, his legs getting pulled down with him.

"There's nothing wrong…" she said again, as he sank even farther, his head the only thing above the floor boards.

"Hitsugaya-Taichou…" her laughing face mocked him as she began to unbutton her shirt, making him throw his hands over his face.

"Nononononononononono…I'm going to get raped!" Hitsugaya shrieked, as the floor claimed him completely, and he fell into a waterfall, the cold water hitting him hard as he struggled to breath, his eyes opening suddenly to see Matsumoto sitting directly over him, her robes dangling open to reveal her massive cleavage, a massive bucket pouring ice cold water on his face.

"NO! I'm too YOUNG!" he screeched, jumping backwards, soaking wet, and running in to the hallway.

"Wait! Hitsugaya-Taichou! It was only a dream!" Matsumoto yelled.

**Theme #24: Good night**

Rangiku leaned against Gin's shoulder as he carried her, his short blue kimono and dirty feet scuffling along the worn path, dodging weeds covered in thorns as he tugged her body gently into a hut at the end of the path, laying her on a make-shift futon.

She opened her eyes a crack, her hunger satiated, but her body still exhausted from struggling for life.

Her savior added flames to hot coals in a fire pit by her side, the cool spring air thwarted by its smoky aroma as he added herbs to the flames, spitting the fish he had hung to dry in the sun on a sharp, well-blackened stick and sitting it over the fire, his aqua-blue eyes staring at his new companion.

She lay there, weakly, eyes barely open as he pulled the fish from the spit about twenty minutes later, flaking off a piece of skin to reveal the tasty flesh beneath. He fed her, piece by piece, her body gaining strength with every bite.

When he was done he lay down next to her on the futon as the fire dwindled dimly.

"We'll be safer if we sleep together." He said, simply.

She nodded, her face kissed by the moonlight as he unconsciously pulled her closer to him. She snuggled into his warmth, her lips whispering out a barely audible, "Good night" to both him and the moon.

**Theme #25: Fence**

"What is it?" Rangiku asked, her face staring at the great white walls that surrounded the Gotei 13, a crowd from Rukongai gathering around her as her step over the line had set off massive alarms, making her almost leap out of her skin.

"Who tried to get in?" the children laughed, pointing at her. She was dirty, barefoot, her kimono torn and barely covering the essentials, a knapsack on her back full of everything she owned in the world, a short wooden sword at her side.

A thud from nearby made Rangiku turn and stare upwards into the face of a massive giant sitting by the gate.

"I am Jidanbou…no one shall pass."

"Sheezus…" Rangiku said, her hand covering her eyes as she looked him in the eye, his face towering a good thirty feet taller than the top of her head. "Yo…monkey-san!" she called, making him glare, "How do I get inside?"

"You don't." he replied, simply.

"But I want to apply to the academy!" she whined, her golden hair flying behind her as she cocked her head to the side, her breasts bouncing and distracting the gate keeper.

"Then you'll have to go about it the right way. There is a recruitment station in the Rukongai."

"Dammit" Rangiku hissed, turning to walk away, tripping over a rock and falling hard to the ground. "They're suffocating me!" she shrieked, her knapsack shoving her face down into her ample bosom as she kissed the dirt.

"Ran…?" a voice murmured above her, making her jump and roll to the side as she looked up into a face she hadn't seen in five years.

"Gi…Gin…" she whispered, staring at the tall man that stood next to her former companion, his glasses shading eyes covered by shaggy brown hair.

He leaned down and offered her a hand, her fingers grasped by his own firm, sword worn hand. "I am Aizen-Taichou…" he said, smiling, "I gather that you wish to become a shinigami?"

"Yes…" she whispered, trying to brush her face off.

"Allow Gin and I to escort you then" he said, a smile on his face.

She walked ahead of them, following their directions as Gin watched her golden hair sway down her back, his heart tugging painfully at him, as he walked next to his Captain.

"I think she will be useful…her reiatsu is promising." Aizen said, lifting his glasses from his face to glance at Gin.

"Aizen-Taichou…" Gin murmured, his face blank as usual, his tone forced and light. "I would appreciate it, if you would not use this girl."

"Oh?" Aizen replied, his voice just as guarded, "And why is that?"

"Just please…don't."

**Lyrics: This just seems like a Rangiku song – although I don't think she would cheat on Gin – I think she is killing him slowly though. **

_**Story of my life**_

_**Searching for the right**_

_**But it keeps avoiding me**_

_**Sorrow in my soul**_

'_**Cuz it seems that wrong**_

_**Really loves my company**_

_**He's more than a man  
**_

_**This is more than love**_

_**The reason that the sky is blue**_

_**The clouds are rolling in**_

_**Because I'm gone again**_

_**And to him I just can't be true**_

_**And I know that he knows I'm unfaithful**_

_**And it kills him inside**_

_**To know that I am happy with some other guy **_

_**I can see him dying**_

_**I don't wanna do this anymore **_

_**I don't wanna be the reason why**_

_**Every time I walk out the door**_

_**I see him die a little more inside**_

_**I don't wanna hurt him anymore**_

_**I don't wanna take away his life**_

_**I don't want to be **_

_**A murderer**_


End file.
